The investigation into the Hy-Line Cruises ferry collision with another vessel in Nantucket Harbor last Friday night continues, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that a maritime disaster was narrowly avoided.
Entering the harbor in heavy fog just before 9 p.m., the Hy-Line’s Grey Lady IV fast ferry collided with the Razor Bill, a 44-foot Hinckley powerboat that was underway and headed out of the channel. Both boats sustained minor damage from the impact, and there were no injuries reported aboard either vessel.
It was the first time a Hy-Line Cruises ferry had suffered a collision with another vessel in the decades-long history of the boat line, according to vice president Murray Scudder.
“We were inbound Friday evening coming into Nantucket Harbor and came into contact with a private vessel that crossed our bow,” Scudder said. “We ended up hitting it at a slow rate of speed. The captain slowed down and went full reverse and almost avoided it. But the other vessel kept turning left in front of us and we couldn’t avoid hitting him.”
The Grey Lady IV’s left pontoon was slightly damaged, but it was “primarily cosmetic,” he added.
The owner of the Razor Bill has not been identified, and a Coast Guard spokesperson did not know who or how many people were onboard the powerboat at the time of the collision. While the Coast Guard stated the Razor Bill sustained damage to its starboard side above the water line and was issued a no sail order, the vessel was nowhere to be found in the harbor over the weekend. The Coast Guard claimed it had tied up at the Children’s Beach pier, but it was not there, nor was it in the Boat Basin. Even Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said she couldn’t find it.
While it was certainly foggy Friday night, those conditions are familiar to the Hy-Line’s captains, and the cause of the incident remains unknown at this point.
“There was low visibility, but whether or not that is the reason for the collision, I’m not sure,” Coast Guard Petty Officer and Public Affairs Specialist Amanda Wyrick said, emphasizing that the incident is still under investigation.
“From our standpoint,” Scudder said, “We had to take evasive action from a boat operating in a manner inconsistent with where they should have been.”
In the moments after its collision with the Razor Bill, the Grey Lady IV also hit a moored sailboat, Scudder added. It is believed the ferry then pulled two sailboats off their moorings and was dragging them along its starboard side, requiring the captain to perform circling maneuvers to free the Grey Lady IV from the lines. It finally arrived at the dock on Straight Wharf about 30 minutes late.
The Grey Lady IV then boarded passengers for its return trip to Hyannis, and kept them on board at the dock on Straight Wharf for several hours while it was determined whether the Coast Guard would allow it to leave the harbor Friday night with passengers. Ultimately, the answer was no. Hy-Line Cruises Vice President Philip Scudder said that the boat line then sent another one of its vessels, the M/V Grey Lady III, from Hyannis to Nantucket Friday night to assist those ferry passengers who were stranded. The Grey Lady IV that was involved in the collision left Nantucket at 5 a.m. Saturday morning with no passengers, just crew, and after a successful inspection in Hyannis returned to service Saturday afternoon.
